Heilige Hieronymus lezend

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso linksonder, gestempeld (): Lugt 240

Art Historical Context

Jusepe de Ribera’s etching *Heilige Hieronymus lezend* (Saint Jerome Reading), created between 1622 and 1626, captures the revered scholar-saint absorbed in study. Ribera, a artist active in Naples during the Baroque period, was deeply influenced by Caravaggio’s dramatic realism and tenebrism. Here he translates those painterly effects into print, using bold contrasts of light and shadow to emphasize Jerome’s intense concentration and the textures of his books and robes. Etching was a medium Ribera mastered early in his career, allowing him to reach a broader audience with his powerful religi...

About the Artist

Jusepe de Ribera · 1590–1652

Ribera is considered one of the most important figures in European painting in the 17th century and the Counter-Reformation. He was Spanish, but spent nearly his entire career in Italy. He was initially influenced by followers of Caravaggio who were active in Rome; he later incorporated stylistic innovations of Venice and Flanders in his own highly personal compositions.